Amusement apparatus.



PATENTED SEPT. 11', 1906.

F. W. THOMPSON.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 1904. RENEWED JULY 20,1906.

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No- 880,853. PATENTED SEPT. 11, 1906.

P. W. THOMPSON. AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10I 1904. RENEWED JULY 20.1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WVILLIAHS THOMPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1906.

Application filed June 10,1904. Renewed July 20,1906. Serial No.327.083.

T0 aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAMS THOMPSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of New York, Coney Island, borough ofBrooklyn, in the county'of Kings and State of New York, have invented anew and Improved Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in amusement apparatus, an objectbeing to provide such a device in the formof an inclined chute orslideway down which a person may slide with increasin momentum from topto bottom, th'us afi'orc in pleasureable excitement without danger ofinjury.

Another object is to construct a slideway of a material having inherentand lasting slipperiness or smoothness, thereby obviating the employmentof polishing substances.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the general description.

I will describe an amusement apparatus embodying my invention and thenpoint out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing an amusement apparatus embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates a chute or slideway which istrough-shaped or transversely curved. This chute or slideway is inclineddownward and is sinuous or reversely curved laterally, the curves beingof different degrees of lengths, as indicated at 6 7 8. At the lowerportion or terminal is a fiat landing-platform .9, which opens outwardat one side, and at the upper end is a platform 10. The curved portion 6of the chute or slideway extends partly around a structural device 11,so that the curve 7 is hidden from view from the starting-point,

thus obstructing the view of the terminal from a party starting in theslideway.

The slideway is constructed of parallel strips of reeds 12such, forinstance, as ratanthese reeds being secured to a framework 13, supportedon standards 14, and the upper edges of the chute, which also consistsof reeds, are extended down the outer sides of the framework, asindicated at 15. By employing reeds of the character described andengaging them longitudinally one against another a natural smoothness isobtained without the use of a polishing material, and the surface of thereeds is in no way changed under atmospheric or weather changes. As thereeds are naturally round, the upper surfaces of all of the reedsassembled in the slideway are transversely curved or convexed, thusmaterially reducing the frictional bearing-surface.

In the operation a person sitting down in the upper end of the chutewill slide down by gravity with increasing momentum, but will be stoppedat the horizontally-disposed portion or platform 9.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. An amusement device comprising a laterally-sinuousdownwardly-inclined slideway consisting of strips of material connectedlengthwise of the slideway, one against another, the upper surfaces ofsaid strips being transversely convexed.

2. An amusement device comprising a downwardly and laterally curvedframe, and a trough-shaped slideway on said frame consisting oflongitudinal strips placed one against another, the upper ed es of theslideway being turned down over the outer side of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK WILLIAMS THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

FRED MGCLELLEN, H. B. FIELDING.

